Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-12
LIFE IN NEW YORK.
Theatrical Management The Vice
Haunts OF a Great Cisy-The Outcome
OF the 'LOngshOrcmen.~ Strike.


Haunts OF a Great City-The Outcome
Of the 'LOng>hOrcmcn,~ strike.
| special Correspondence of The EVENING STAR
| NEW YORK, February 10 lSS-.
Again are the newspapers filled with paragraphs
| ABOUT Henry E. Abbey. The fortune made by In
PRODUCING Sarah Bernharit 10 the American pub
lie and lost In the first operate season al the Met
| ropontan opera house. has been regained In his
tour WIN Patti A Wall street Spectator has no
| more ups aud downs than a theatrical manager
| In New YORK Strakosch made and lost fortunes
and Is said to have retired fabulously rich. Rate
| man, Gran. Maretzel. Palmer Jarrett and others
living ana dead, who made 800 900 or more in a
season. 10 DE lost at the next venture, stand In
| marked contrast Strakosch seems TO be the one
n on 10 the general rule. He is the Jay Gould,
Mhue the Others are the Jacob LittleS John
| Ihompsons, Jim keenes and Rufus Matches OF
sneaIflcai Speculations, rich to-day and poor to-
MORROW Iheir fortunes slip through their ing
| ers like seeds Marvellous stories are told OF the
receipts al Patus performances, and Abbey Is
again called the Napoleon OF managers. and cred
| i'e1 Win fortune which may be lost next year.
| iheIe are men In the managerial line, however,
VINO Pile up fortunes slowly and surely, yet so un
oUtruslseiy tnat they are entirely overlooked.
They resemble the old-fashioned brokers or Wall
street, who take their commissions and are
never Seduced into Speculations. / met one OF
THESE men to-day lie is broad-shouldered and
| handsome. handsome well-waxed moustache
adorns his horid face. His hair is parted in the
middle. Barring protuSton or diamonds he
dresses In exquisite taste. His cravats are the
pink OF perfection. No gentleman ever wore q
more glossy hat. All this outward display is backed
py natural geniality and generosity OF character.
nave known him 10 telephone for his private
carriage and drive over the city from midnight TO
9aynght to serve a friend. He is known on every
plock In the city by rich and poor. While
was talking with him millionaire sought his
| committee or longshoremen called upon him,
ana offered to handle free OF charge all the coal
required in his theaters during the strike. / am
writing OF
HARRY MINER
( NO greater contrast TO Lester Wallack in per-
| sonal appearance and business tact could be
found. Wallack has lost a fortune in catering to
the tastes OF the upper ten in amusements. and
| MIneT mas MADE fortune In pleasing the flower
| twenty down town. doubt whether Miner him.
sell knows how rich he is He must be worth
between 100000 and S3,OOO.OOO. He OWNS five
| theaters-three in New York, one in Brooklyn and
one IN Newark, \. J. He not only owns the build
| ings. out he owns the ground on which they are
quit he Is now erecting two more opera houses
one In Troy and another In Brooklyn. He has three
| or four theatrical combinations on the road. none
OF which has ever lost money. Wealth has poured
into his pockets in never-ceasing stream Tor the
last twelve years II has been tucked away in
real estate purchases, all OF which have doubled
IN value He recently paid $132, 900 for house in
Madison avenue. His income must exceed 800, 600
year. His two theaters in the Bowery alone
| $4,000 from his Eighth avenue theater 5000
from his Brooklyn theater and 10000 from his
sTaa0e ag companies and you have the sum OF
opera mouse Is TO be added. 1t Will probably ex-
| coed SAG, 900.
Miner is forty-three years old. He was born In
this city. and he graduated at the Mechanics In
| Stftute In 1857. He studied medicine, and began
prosperous career by establishing drug stores in
| pOpuiouS districts or a restless diSDosition he
dlitted into the ocean OF amusements and quickly
sold out his pharmacies. He was the first TO re-
| turn TO cheap prices after the war, and he was
| also the first TO reap the harvest that fol-
| lowed His Peoples theater in the BOwery is one
OF the handsomest In the city. The Hobbies are
spacious and finely furnished and the best seat In
| the house can be bought for seventy-hve cents
All the reigning stars appear Henry Irving,
Mary Anderson and others are no strangers In his
| theatera He is simply coming money by recog-
ming In business way the fact that the war is
| over and That specie payment has been resumed.
He employs enough workmen and artists TO fill
| two regiments.
recognize the claims OF the suffering and the OPP
| pressed. He led of in benefits Tor the yellow
fever and the Charleston sufferers and he has al
ready given nights receipts to the striking long
shoremen. He is president OF the Actors Fund as
| ISOLATION, and IL was under his management that
it took benefit unrivaled in the history OF the
| American stage. President Cleveland, Gov Htll
| and Mayor Grace occupied private boxes, and the
net receipts exceeded $4,000. With his vast popu-
lar1ty, Miner might become most successful poll
ucian. All efforts TO draw him into the field OF
politics, however, have failed. He owns a large
Jaded by the tolls OF llfe and he has a beautiful
| summer residence on the Sound.
Abbey Is meteOric and attracts much attention.
Miner is fixed star, with shady efulgence.
Both are great managers; yet how many have
heard OF Abbey and how few have heard OF Miner!
Y Abbey be the Napoleon OF managers, Miner may
as truly be termed the Turenne OF the theatrical
| procession.
DIME MUSEUMS AND SHOOTING GALLERIES
| are having neck and neck race on the Bowery.
There are two or three OF each kind onevery block
The galleries occupy small stores. Inside there is
counter running across the width OF the room.
The air, spring or cartridge rifles are on these, and
| there the marksman stands and bangs away.
The targets are set In female figures cut from the
Col fnCrn NJ
| burlesQue troupes. CHANGING over his sights
| man sees pair OF shapely legs encased in tights
| swelling bust and pretty face. There is no I'm
ducement to fire at such an attractive object with
deadly intent, and can't imagine why such tar
Anthony Comstock, a plumber, a dude. or some
thing or that kind, their business would certainly
| increase. Why patronize these galleries? A man
may drop in occasionally but at cent a shot the
| profits from that source cannot be very great.
| Some say that they are supported by the anar-
chists, who use them TO perfect their rife and PTS
to practice, but can hardly believe that as an
| archlSts are averse to paying out even cent IL
they can help it. Besides the practice OF hiring at
pretty woman, however revolutionary that
might seem, would not be or much value when
confronted by an angry policeman with a big
club.
The truth is that many of these galleries are
only masks for opium joints. The joint is in the
rear, back of the targets and there the devotees
OF the drug gather to init the pipe" The police
are not likely to venture across the bullet-swept
area, so that the business is comparatively safe.
INVOLUNTARY SUICIDE.
Vne lQe0 OF The coal-hanQlerS ana l0ngShOremen
in striking was to so inc0mmode the public that
the employers should be forced to surrender by
the pressure OF public opinion The blow, as
usual, recoiS upon the heads OF the men who deal
il. It is the poor not the rich who suffer by the
scarcity OF COAL The rich filled their cellars last
fall, and they can laugh at a coal famine. II they
should happen to run short they could leave the
city until the trouble was over. The poor must
stay here and sufer-and suffer greatly this bitter
cold weather. Coal has advanced from 10 cents TO
II cents basket, and it means that many fami-
lies Will have to get along with half their usual
allowance. Many factories have shut down be-
cause there was no coal TO run their engines and
thus thousands OF working people have been
thrown out OF employment.
How all this is going to help the cause OF the
strikers is hard to understand. The dealers make
up for a short supply by charging higher prices.
The labOrtng men lose their wages and pay more
for their fuel.
Tenement house visitors report that many wo-
men pass their time In bed In order TO save fuel |
and that pneumonia and severe colds are alarm |
ingly frequent. Ragged children swarm the
streets picking up bits OF coal and wood. Before
long II Will De necessary to start coal Kitchens
cases OF freezing to death will be common. |
AMOS j. CUMMINGS AND BLAKELY Hall.
GEN. MEIESs CHIMNEY.
A Long Pending Controversy Over the |!
Bay Window Question Stfn Umde. |